UK Drugstore Makeup Haul

I think we all know what it's like, you pop into Boots to pick up one thing (A top-up of my favourite drugstore foundation) and you come out with a hefty bag of things! WOOPS! 

Here's the list of things I bought on my recent accidental drugstore haul!

Starting with the thing I went in for, my L'oreal true match foundation. I have raved about this before and despite trying a selection of other brands I still came back to this guy. I love the creamy formula, it's not too matte and not too glowy (Or shiny & sweaty looking as some can turn out!). The coverage is excellent, it evens out my skin tone and cancels out any red looking patches and blemishes meaning I have less concealing to do too.
                                                                                                                                      

Next up I finally picked up the Maybelline Instant Anti Age Rewind Concealer. I am really late to the party with this one, I have been reading about it on many beauty blogs for a while and at last I realise what the hype is about. The sponge applicator makes it super easy to apply, I use it under my eyes to brighten the area and it does a really great job. Plus its got a really light feeling formula so it doesn't crease up and end up looking wrinkly by the end of the day which is naaaaaht a good look. I am a bit freaked out by the questionable hygiene of the sponge applicator but I try and keep it as clean as poss! All in all, this is a great product and well worth a try if you are in the market for an affordable brightening under eye concealer.
                                                                                                                                    

I also picked up a lipstick from the L'oral Collection Exclusive range (Yes, the one I rave about last post!) This time I tried out one of the nude shades. After many swatches on my hand (I always leave boots with multi-coloured hands covered in makeup looking like a loon!) I decided on the shade J-Lo, this is truly a nude shade, really close to my natural lip colour with added shine. I like this lipstick and I recommend it but I am nowhere near as obsessed as I am with dear Blake.
                                                                                                                                     

And theeeeeeeen, I picked up three more shades in the Maybelline Super Stay nail polish range. I still love this polish, the formulation is fantastic, you only need a couple of coats, it dries quickly and its quite hardy.. I can keep this on for about 4 days before the ends start chipping which is pretty good in my books. I went for some more Spring-y shades in the hope that Winter will hurry away, a rosy nude and a pretty pink, plus I got a clear top-coat.
                                                                                                                                                              

Last of all I picked up my favourite pen-style eyeliner from the drugstore, the L'oreal Super Liner. It has a super thin nib meaning you can get a nice thin line and flick. Application is really smooth and easy too. It's not the blackest of eyeliners, if you really want a super black finish I always recommend using a gel pot and a brush.
                                                                                                                                        

That's all for now folks

xx

PS ..LUCKILY I PRE WROTE THIS  as being the smart girl i am I fell over and fractured my elbow yesterday!! Due to this painful & mightily uncomfortable experience blog posts  may be a bit less wordy for the next couple of weeks - (it has taken me about 20 mins to even type this sentence in haha) 

Insta-Catch Up

Here's my Instagram Catch up, in timeline form. A way to show you what I have been up to the last few months!.....

Find me on instagram @dusk_williams

That's all for now folks! 

xxx

My Top Five Red Lipsticks

Well hello there,

It's been a while! The past three months have been full of ups and downs & new ideas & failed plans.... that is my only excuse for my lack of presence on this part of the internet.

As some of you may know I am (as well as an avid fashion blogging fan) a working freelance makeup artist, and as of next week, I am now solely focussing on my career as a freelance makeup artist. However I have decided I wouldn't like to let my blog fall to the wayside as I really love writing about what trends and clothes I am liking. But, from now on you will be seeing 'Makeup & Beauty' posts coming up a lot more frequently as that is my main interest and I would like to incorporate it more! I hope you enjoy the posts as much as I enjoy writing them!
                                                                                                                                                           

OK, Lets kick off 2015 (Happy New Year BTW) with my favourite thing out of all makeup products LIPSTICK! And to be precise my most worn colour, RED! I thought I would start out my beauty posts with my top 5 red lipsticks... Now wearing red lipstick isn't for the faint of heart and I know some people find it pretty intimidating but once you get the right shade for you, you'll get used to wearing it and realise how it can make you feel pretty darn BADASS.

NUMERO UNO:
M.A.C - Russian Red

MAC is an amazing brand when it comes to lipstick, their colour selection is insane and most of the time their formula is good too. My favourite red from MAC is Russian Red, the colour is slightly darker than your classic pillar box red and the finish is matte (which is how I like all my red lipsticks - you'll find that in almost all of the following).

NUMERO DOS:
Bourjois - Rouge Edition Velvet - Hot Pepper

The Rouge Edition Velvet Lip lacquers are a bit of a marmite product, I've read many bloggers who absolutely love the formulation and others who hate it and find it dry. I LOVE it.. The texture is initially similar to a highly pigmented gloss and it smooths on well, with a creamy texture, and the colour pay off is really nice. It then dries to a matte finish without feeling crackly which some matte lip stains can. The colour range is so beautiful ( I also LOVE the pink shade Pink Pong) and hot pepper is the perfect orange toned red, good for hot summer days.

NUMERO TRES:
M.A.C - Lady Danger 

The second MAC colour to feature in my top five is Lady Danger, along the same lines as hot pepper colour wise, lady danger is a bright orange toned red. If I had to pick a red lipstick for poison Ivy to wear it would be this colour, its amazing. I don't need to talk about the formulation as I already have but the colour is just amazeballs seriously.

NUMERO QUATRO:
Rimmel Apocalips - Big Bang

The only exception to my matte lip rule is Big Bang by Rimmel.. this lip lacquer has a very creamy, exceeeedingly pigmented and shiny formula. When I say pigmented I mean,like, insane.. this is a tricky product to apply as one slip would show due to the bright in-your-face colour however the payoff is worth it.. carrying on the cartoon character reference route.. this is the lipstick Jessica Rabbit would wear.. suuuper sexy.

NUMERO CINCO:
L'oreal - Collection Exclusive - Blake 

Ok so.. I don't want to sound dramatic but..I think I've found 'The One'. I have always been on the hunt for the perfect classic red lip. Until recently... when a lipstick came into my life and sauntered it's way straight to the top of my list.. The L'oreal Collection Exclusive Pure Red lipstick 'Blake' (aka Blake Lively - Gossip Girl's absolute beaut and Ryan Reynolds' Bae). ...In terms of 'pillar box red' I have always loved the shade Ruby Woo by MAC but I can't STAND the dry-as-a-crayon texture. Blake's lipstick has the exact same 'blue toned', 'teeth whitening' red shade without the dryness OR the £15 price tag (£6.99 Boots). Well ladies and gents, I think she might be 'The One' . 

That's all for now folks...

xxx

Monthly Favs!!

Hey guys,

How is it the end of July already??! This year is just speeeding past, it's insane! I am about to have a really exciting month this August with holidays and weddings to attend - I am really looking forward to it! Back to July though, for my favourite things of the month.... I have a month of LOVVVVVE for a fair few products so bare with me if I sound rather keen!!

The first product is this gorgeous primer from L'oreal, I tend to stick to the same old products when it comes to my skin but I decided to branch out and try some new things recently and I was pleasantly surprised! This is a base primer but it can also be mixed in with your foundation. Most of the time primers are used to help keep your makeup in place throughout the day so I find them particularly useful in the summertime when you tend to sweat more..!  Different primers do different things, if you have dry skin you can find moisturising primers that keep your skin dewy and if you have oily skin there are matte primers which will have combat shine throughout the day!

I have 'normal' skin so I find I just need something that will give me an extra boost or glow to my face, which is where this product comes in.. the primer has a slight pearlescent sheen to it that (when mixed in with your normal foundation) gives you a lovely Summer-y glow and leaves you looking healthy and radiant without being too shiny. 

My next BIG CHANGE of the month is this foundation! This is a really big deal to me as I am really a stickler for getting stuck using the same foundation again and again, & although my normal (L'oreal true match) foundation is still amazing I decided I would like something a little lighter for Summer. This foundation from l'oreal is the lightest formula they make, so not for those who have a lot of colour pigmentation or imperfections they would like to cover! However, after using some new skincare products this month (coming up in this blogpost!) I have found my skin is a lot healthier and I have a lot less acne therefore this lighter finish foundation is perfect.. also you don't even feel like you're wearing foundation, which is a big deal when you are MELTING in the London sunshine (No complaints about the sunshine here though!!!).

And, of course I have a new lip product to rave about too, this is the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet lip stain in 'Pink Pong' this colour is just THE BOMB.. haha.. but really, I can't say much about this (I hear you all cheer) except it's matte without feeling dry and the colour is the perfect bold warm pink.. GO AND GET IT NOW.

Now, this is the skincare change I mentioned earlier... I found out about LA ROCHE POSAY Effaclar Duo through the many youtube beauty channels I incessantly watch and realised I HAD TO TRY IT. This cream combats redness, dark marks and acne and it does it sooooooooo well!! The tube tells you to apply if all over your face morning and night, I say DON'T do that.. just apply it to troubled areas at night before you go to bed and wake to the lovely surprise of perfect skin.. If you are going somewhere special you can apply if all over your face for a soft supple feeling in the morning but if you apply it this way everyday you are sure to dry out your skin! Other then that I really couldn't recommend this product enough.. GO AND GET IT NOW..  

Last of all is my fashion fav of the month, which is this sundress from Brandy Melville (Kings Road & Carnaby Street if you are in London). It's the perfect light Summer dress, the pattern is boho-esque and the floaty style and adjustable straps make it ideal for beach holidays! 

Weeeeeell, that's all for now folks! PHEW, who'd have thought I would have SO much to say!! I apologise in advance for the DAMAGE you may cause to your bank accounts in Boots &/or Superdrug after reading this post!! HAHA.. 

I hope you are having a magical and amazing Summer so far...

LOVEEEEE

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STRIKE - With Somewhereto_

Hey guys,

I was lucky enough to attend the STRIKE event with Somewhereto_  showcasing new London based designers last week. The event was in an amazing venue, The Asylum (www.asylumlondon.org) . The deteriorating 19th Century Caroline Gardens Chapel in Peckham was a hauntingly beautiful setting for artists to display their work. 

The evening consisted of 6 new designers debuting their work to press & public in a creative way. Each collection was played out on a catwalk in the round followed by a spoken poem. 

MA-KO 

MA-KO

I have a connection to new brand MA-KO (MA-KO twitter) as I did the makeup & hair for their S/S14 collection launch - see website here: www.ma-ko.co.uk  . At Strike MA-KO showed their A/W14 collection. The collection embodied the 'effortlessly chic' look the company encompases. Stand out pieces for me were a leather collar black wool dress which called out to my inner Wednesday Addams and a gorgeously relaxed Mac-come-Jacket (pictured in the last picture of the previous set) which reminded me of Alexa Chung's style.. I haven't stopped thinking about how throwing it over my mom jeans and a crisp white shirt would make me look like I was 'accidentally stylish' (a look one strives for!). Once again MA-KO hit the 'calmly cool and elegant' nail on the head. Check out their Spring/Summer 2014 collection now!

Another mention must be made for my fellow LCF classmate graduate Shireeka Devlin (Follow her twitter here), winner of a WGSN Global Fashion Award 2012, her collection of insanely colourful printed pieces never cease to amaze. I think the main thing I notice about Devlin's collection is that despite the fact that they are an explosion of print, colour & confidence they are also magically wearable as separates.. I could definitely see myself slipping on the tailored long line blazer with tropical bug-like prints on top of a plain black outfit and popping out to a party, equally the tailored tropical print trousers called out to me as an amazing summer piece - paired with white birks & a laid back tee. Every piece Devlin makes reflects her vividly-multicoloured personal style, watch this space.. I think this girl is going places.

Apologies for the bad picture quality, the lighting made taking photographs quite tricky & I was only armed with an iphone!

Hope you like this post, I know it's something slightly different for me but I thoroughly enjoyed attending a fashion event as a 'fashion blogger' and am hoping to be writing similar posts in the near future!

LOVEEEEEEEEE

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♡ Mini makeup haul & Review ♡

Hey guys, 

I popped into my local drugstore the other day and picked up a few bits of make up I'd been meaning to try for a while, the Rimmel Apocalips lip lacquers and Maybelline The Rocket mascara. Here's some pics and reviews of what I think! 

First up - Maybelline The Rocket Mascara - 

I've heard loads of beauty bloggers and YouTubers raving about this and have been meaning to give it a go, it just so happened to be £5.99 instead of £7.99 in Superdrug so I thought now was my chance! On first trying the mascara it seemed pretty average to be honest, 

 my top lashes were longer and fuller but I've seen better in other mascaras.. it wasn't till I put some on my lower lashes that I really realised how nice this mascara is! Where lots of mascaras are too heavy and clumpy for the smaller lower lashes, the rocket is a light, lengthening mascara which left my lower lashes looking doll like and really rather lovely! I wouldn't run out and buy this mascara as my everyday mascara instantly but I think it is really nice for those days when I don't feel like wearing any heavy eye make up or eyeliner.  I'd give it a 7/10

My eyes whilst wearing The Rocket mascara..

Next up is Rimmel Apocalips in 'Celestial'

Now this lip laquer has blown up on the blogging world, so much so that I was worried my expectations would be way way way too high. I chose two colours and this is the first, 'Celestial' a pinky, mauve colour which most would call 'my lips but better'.. the colour is really really lovely  and the colour pay off is very strong. I truly was unbelievably impressed! This isn't quite a lip gloss and not a lipstick either, its somewhere in between, it colours your lips with a thick strong colour and leaves them with a lovely shine, without feeling sticky. 'Celestial' is a gorgeous day time colour! 9/10 from me!!

My lips whilst wearing Apocalips 'Celestial' 

Next again is Rimmel Apocalips 'Big bang'

Once again I was worried about this one, I am very picky about my red lipsticks. But I couldn't love this colour more! The pay off is unbeliveble, it gives you an amazing bright pillar box red, and a really nice shine. A couple of things I would say bout this lacquer is that you have to be really good at applying the colour, as it is such a strong shade and any slight slip or mistake could end up looking really silly! And the staying power isn't fantastic, you need to reapply after a couple of hours and it disappears as soon as you eat/drink. Other then that I really love this colour and it will definitely become a staple for me!  9/10 again :)

My lips whilst wearing 'big bang'

Overall I am very happy with my purchases and will defo be wanting to try some other Apocalips colours :)

hope you're all having a lovely 2013 so far!

♡ LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE♡

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